


Good Fortune

by Minim Calibre (minim_calibre)



Category: Catherine (Web Series)
Genre: Developing Relationship, F/F, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-27
Updated: 2018-02-27
Packaged: 2019-03-24 16:56:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13815477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minim_calibre/pseuds/Minim%20Calibre
Summary: Catherine's fortune cookie saidIf your desires are not extravagant, they will be grantedand Sam's saidGo confidently in the direction of your dreams.





	Good Fortune

**Author's Note:**

> Written for picfor1000 Challenge 16. Twelve part web series, without which neither the content nor the tone of the story will make sense, available at [YouTube](https://youtu.be/iMwIBkShyzw)

There are still two strawberry candies from Catherine's first day back in the office. They're still in the bowl she put them in. The candies have grown soft now and are damp and sticky inside their bright foil wrappers. She should throw them away and buy replacement candies. Sometimes, Jerome likes to take a piece of candy to Richard. It's good to have candy.

It was nice of Samantha to put together the basket with candy to welcome Catherine back. Sam hasn't said that she put together the basket, but Catherine knows it was her. Catherine smiles when she thinks about it. She'll have to ask Sam where she can get more of the candy, if it's at the regular grocery store or if she'll have to drive somewhere special.

It's almost time for lunch and Sam is taking their orders. "Catherine, what do you want for lunch?"

"I'll have the tomato and cheese, please." It's not something she's had before; she's trying to be more adventurous.

Catherine is glad that the issue around the lunches is long behind them. She likes Sam. It would have been upsetting if lunch hadn't gone back to normal, but it did, well, almost. Sam takes the orders to each desk now, like Catherine did the one time that she was in charge of ordering the lunches. They don't talk about why Sam does this. Like Ian, it's one of the things where it's best not to talk about it.

Ian orders spaghetti again. He's at his desk, which is far from her desk, but he's loud and she can hear him when he orders. Ian wasn't there when Catherine was at the office before. If he had been, she might not have had the courage to come back to it. She hasn't gone back to Pong's Garden, even though one day, as they were leaving work, Sam suggested they go there for dinner.

The food at Pong's Garden is better, but they went to Mandarin House instead. It was okay. The hot and sour soup was almost as good as the hot and sour soup at Pong's Garden, but the snow pea chicken wasn't as good. Catherine's fortune cookie said _If your desires are not extravagant, they will be granted_ and Sam's said _Go confidently in the direction of your dreams_.

Sam hasn't suggested Pong's Garden again, but they go to dinner once a week now on Thursdays.

Catherine gets up from her desk and walks to the bathroom. Carefully, she punches in 1-9-7-6. 1976. The door sticks slightly when she goes to open it. Someone will have to call the janitor so that it can be fixed. That's what had to happen when she was here at the office before. The code then was 1-8-1-2. 1812.

The janitor will need to refill the toilet paper. There isn't very much, but it turns out that she doesn't need very much, so that's okay. Catherine pumps the pink soap into her hands and washes them under the lukewarm water. The paper towel dispenser is broken, but that's okay, too; there are plenty of paper towels on top of it. She dries her hands and goes back across the hall to the office.

"Catherine, how are you today?" It's Philip. He has his coffee cup.

"I'm well," she replies. "Someone will need to talk to the janitor. The bathroom door is sticking and the bathroom is almost out of toilet paper."

He looks concerned. "Thank you, Catherine. I'll be sure to contact the janitor right away. It wouldn't be good to run out of toilet paper."

"No," Catherine agrees. "It wouldn't. I'm glad you're taking care of it."

Ian is standing between Catherine and her desk. He's talking to Pam about the vacation Pam went on with her husband. Catherine ducks her head and tries to hurry past unnoticed.

"Hello, Catherine," says Ian in the loud and stilted voice that makes her shrink and feel guilty.

"Oh, hello, Ian." She makes herself look up and smile. "I need to be getting to my desk so I can do some work before Samantha comes by with the lunches." She ducks her head again and hurries by, brushing against the side of a cubicle to keep from brushing against him.

There's a new basket at her desk with pink cellophane wrapped around whatever is inside. There are also three new pens, one blue, one black, and one red. Catherine unties the silver ribbon holding together the cellophane and pushes it aside. There are cookies in the basket. They're in the shape of stars and stockings, frosted with red and green icing. They look like holiday cookies, but it's only September. Catherine looks at the tag. _Happy early birthday,_ it says. It's in Sam's writing.

Tucked beside the cookies is a yellow envelope. It has Catherine's name on it. Inside the envelope is a card with a picture of a cake and the words _Happy Birthday to Someone Special!_ Sam has signed the card and taped her fortune from Mandarin house right below her signature. Beneath the card are more strawberry candies.

Catherine picks up the bowl she put the first batch of candy in and tips the stale candy into the garbage can. She refills the bowl with the candies from the basket. Jerome will be happy. Then she picks up her blue pen and takes out a sheet of paper so she can work.

"Thank you for the basket," she says when Sam comes by with the lunches.

"You're welcome." Sam's voice is sweet and so is her smile. "I enjoyed our dinner last night. Would you like to come with me to see my sister's baby after work? I know you might have plans because today is Friday."

"I don't have any plans. I'd like to go with you to see your sister's baby."

"Good," says Sam. "Afterwards, would you like to go on a date?"

"I'd would love that," says Catherine and she smiles.


End file.
